MINISCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: In a peaceful little clearing, the remains of a picnic hastily abandoned spark warfare between two tribes of ants. At stake a box of sugar. A bold young ladybug finds himself caught in the middle of the battle. He befriends one of the black ants, Mandible, and helps him to save the anthill from the assault of the terrible red ant warriors, led by the fearful Butor. An epic journey at ground level...

MOVIE REVIEW:

Just when you thought this is another animation dealing with insects and bugs, the French manages to pull off an intuitive and whimsical tale about the adventure of a young brave ladybug in Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants.

To begin with, this is an animation that does not contain any single dialogue. So for those who have no tolerance for noisy sidekicks, awkward dubbing and erroneous subtitles, you are in for a treat.

Effortlessly blending live-action backgrounds, which are shot in the National Parks in France with 2D animated characters, a young ladybug who is separated from his family befriend a colony of black ants and help them in their fight against a platoon of evil red ants when a food-scouting errand turned wrong.

With thrills, adventure and action all rolled into one, Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants hardly stops for a breather despite being totally wordless other than the tooting sounds made by the insect characters especially the houseflies roaring liked noisy bikers and the energizing music score.

An incredible chase down the river and an unexpected castle siege with toothpicks, aspirin and fireworks as weaponries will have you sweating for the good ants. At the end of the day, friendship and bravery are the main themes of this kiddy flick. Be it the ladybug selfless, courageous act for his friends or a brief acquaintance with a quirky spider.

The renderings of our insect friends are not exactly photo-realistic still the wide-eyed design approach lends a charming feel to their outlook. Co-directors Thomas Szabo and Helene Giraud did a remarkable job transforming their hit TV series to a full-length feature. When the animation world is filled with constant titles outdoing one another with their 2D/3D effects, Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants dialed down the fanciness and successfully convey a simple tale that constantly engaged the audience.